Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon and Billie Eilish Gay Up SNL (Meow! We Love to See It)
Kate McKinnon and Billie Eilish Bring Big Gay Energy To Saturday Night Live’s Holiday Episode
The cat puns are also purr-fect.
SNL had a doubly gay billing this past weekend: the host was ex-cast member and gay icon Kate McKinnon and the musical guest was recently publicly out Billie Eilish. Kate brought in old pals Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph, doing an Abba bit that had me in hysterics as they struggled to keep from breaking. She also sprinkled little bits of gayness all over the place, one of her characters casually mentioning a wife, etc. Billie sang two songs, my personal most-played song on my Spotify Wrapped “What I Was Made For” from the Barbie movie and a soulful rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” (Make the Yuletide gay, amiright?)
Kate and Billie joined queer forces to rekindle one of McKinnon’s classic bits as they donned curly wigs to be the lesbian employees of a cat rescue called Whiskers R We. They share a lot in common, including their favorite movie (Tar), and celeb crush (Mariska Hargitay.)
You can watch it now and be as delighted as I was:
One of the digital shorts of this episode was also quite gay, starring Kate and Billie, but also Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and gay former SNL writer (and current Girls 5 Eva standout star) Paula Pell. In this short, they sing an adorably hilarious song about running a tampon farm. It’s a gay ol’ time.
More Queer News For You:
+ Ali Liebert and Humberly González starred in the gay Hallmark Christmas movie Friends and Family Christmas that aired last night, and it was a sweet addition to the still-to-small pile of queer holiday movies. The bar is low but this one exceeded it, in my opinion.
THANK YOU! From the bottom of my lil queer heart for watching & loving our movie!!! It means the world to me that you feel seen. #RepresentationMatters 🌈#FriendsAndFamilyChristmas @hallmarkchannel pic.twitter.com/ObiLLPi3Uf
— officially ali liebert (@AliLiebert) December 18, 2023
+ Demi Lovato is engaged to a man who goes by the nickname Jutes, and they seem really happy. And after everything Demi has been through, I genuinely wish them nothing but joy and happiness.
+ The online project Queer Liberation Library is fighting against queer book bans
+ V.E. Schwab reflected on the limited queerness of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
+ Author Michelle Tea, credited with starting Drag Queen Story Hour, is starting an independent publishing arm called Dopamine
+ There are some gay goings-on over on General Hospital between Kristina and Blaze
+ Bi, Black author Bethany Baptiste weighs in on the Cait Corrain review bomb Goodreads scandal and how it’s linked to racism in publishing
+ This year’s Miss France pageant winner has short hair and a supposedly “androgynous” look and people are big mad about it which sounds like homophobia to meeeee
Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon Returning to SNL To Make the Yuletide Gay With Billie Eilish
Kate McKinnon and Billie Eilish Will Have a Very Gay Saturday Night Live Christmas On December 16th
Billie Eilish Episode 1813 — Pictured: (l-r) Host Billie Eilish as Leslie D., Kate McKinnon, Ego Nwodim, and Kenan Thompson during the Santa Song sketch on Saturday, December 11, 2021 (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Kate McKinnon is returning to Saturday Night Live to host its December 16th episode with musical guest Billie Eilish, which will be the second time Billie is the musical guest for a Christmas episode of SNL and therefore the second time the twosome will be appearing together in the same Christmas episode! But a lot has changed since the 2021 Christmas episode — now Billie has revealed that she is gay and tired and also both Kate and Billie were involved in the Barbie movie. This feels like an opportunity for some kind of Gay Christmas Barbie skit, just an idea!
The December 16th episode will be Kate McKinnon’s hosting debut after leaving the show in 2022 — during her time on the program she delighted the fuck out of us on a regular basis and also was nominated for ten Emmys and won two. She’s also had very memorable turns on holiday episodes of Saturday Night Live, including Do It On My Twin Bed, HomeGoods, The Christmas Candle and, of course, Back Home Ballers.
Feature image by Rosalind OConnor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
More Pop Culture Stories For Your Day:
+ Netflix has dropped the trailer for “Under Pressure,” a documentary about the United States’ Women’s Soccer team’s quest for a third World Cup title. This documentary was constructed very quickly?!
+ + Bella Ramsey spoke to Pink News about their excitement for a lesbian romance between Ellie and newcomer Dina in Season Two of “Last of Us.” Furthermore, on this very day they were named as one of the BAFTA Breakthrough Award recipients for their performance as Ellie in the first season of HBO’s Last of Us, based on the bestselling video game.
+ Why are trailers for musicals hiding the fact that they are musicals?
+ Every LGBTQ+ contestant in The Squid Game: The Challenge
+ Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus Lead Spotify Wrapped 2023
+ “An Unexpected Christmas” tops Variety’s list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies, suggesting that viewers “come for the sweet pretend-we’re-still-together-for-my-parents storyline; stay for the most natural chemistry yet.” Variety doesn’t mention this, but there is an unexpected lesbian in an Unexpected Christmas.
+ ‘Mean Girls’ Pop-Up Dining Experience to Debut in Los Angeles and New York
+ OUTtv will debut “Looking For a Third” with reality TV star Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard: Tiffany Pollard is hosting a show that will begin with one gay couple and one lesbian couple looking for a third.
Style Thief: How to Dress Like Weird Barbie, the Most Lesbian of Barbies
You are here because you’d like to learn how to dress like Weird Barbie. Perhaps you want to dress like Weird Barbie for Halloween. Perhaps you want to dress like Weird Barbie for a costume party. Perhaps you merely would like to be the Weird Barbie in you own daily life. You want to learn the basics of a Weird Barbie aesthetic, from her far-off stare and 1980s pink dress at the opening to her commandeering rebel glow up in the film’s third act — and lucky for you my friends, ever since seeing the Barbie movie, I have thought about little else!
** The headline of this post names Weird Barbie as the most lesbian Barbie. I am only joking (no, I am not). I know how the internet likes to tussle. Whichever Barbie is your favorite is the most lesbian Barbie. **
Lesbian Tank Girl Weird Barbie
1. Eloquii Printed Wide Leg Pant (size 14-24, $110) // 2. ASOS Palazzo Pants in Pink Geo Print (size 0-14, $42) // 3. Cider Metallic Parachute Cargo Pants (size XS-XL, $34)
4. Gap High Rise Boyfriend Joggers in Pomegranate Pink (size XXS-XXL, $45) // 5. Harlow & Lloyd Fuchsia and Orange Warp Unisex Fleece Joggers (size XS-4XL, $70) // 6. Nike Phoenix Fleece Sweatpants in Pinksicle (size 1X-3X, $41)
I fully recognize that saying Kate McKinnon is hot is not necessarily breaking any molds here, but my God — Rebel Weird Barbie is just so fucking hot??? You know? Look at that lesbian slouch. Look at that leg spread. And the way that one ankle crosses over that one knee? ENERGY.
If you want to draw attention to your own lesbian leg spread, don’t be afraid of some color and/or color patterns. I feel like our instinct as a queer people is to reach for black whenever possible, but babe don’t blend in when you were put on this earth to stand out in your gay glory. Weird Barbie wears soft pants, because there is no reason that we can’t be hot and comfortable. Learn from her and if your pants don’t have already have a tampered leg at the bottom, don’t forget to cuff it to show off your boots.
1. Target A New Day Relaxed T-Shirt in Pink (size XS-4X, $5) // 2. Target Women’s All in Motion Core Boxy Athletic T-Shirt in Vibrant Pink (size XS-4X, $20) // 3. Old Navy Cropped Slim-Fit T-Shirt in Flower Trail (size XS-4X, $15) // 4. Lane Bryant LIVI Soft V-Neck Recycled Tee in Fuchsia (size 10/12-38/40, $28)
This is almost criminally simple, you want a pink t-shirt. How much pink is too much pink for one outfit, you may ask? Infinity. To quote another pink classic Mean Girls, the limit does not exist.
1. Anthropologie Faux Leather Moto Jacket in Raspberry (size XXS-XL, $98) // 2. Eloquii Faux Leather Moto Jacket (size 14/16-26/28) // 3. Levi’s Faux-Leather Belted Hem Moto Jacket in Cameo Pink (size XS-XL, $120)
4. Forever 21 Satin Bomber Jacket in Dawn Pink (Size 0X-3X, $24) // 5. Gap Utility Jacket in Plush Lilac Purple (size XS-XXL, $48) // 6. Aerie LumberJane Fleece Shirt in Pink Petal (size XS-XXL, $65)
Ok so technically Kate McKinnon is not wearing a leather jacket during this look (I had to zoom in several times, and it appears to be a brushed satin with a wide lapel and rolled up sleeves) — but I think we’re safe to assume the overall vibe that is being brought forth here is one of a dyke on a bike. If you know, you know.
Should you want something that it more closely matches Weird Barbie’s rebel apparel, I’m also including a pink bomber, a utility jacket, and an oversized fleece shirt situation that is screaming soft (pink) butch. Get into it.
1. Dr. Marten’s 1460 Women’s Lace Up Boots in Black Patent Lamper Leather (size 5-11, $130) // 2. Dr. Marten’s 1460 Women’s Lace Up Boots in Black Smooth (size 5-11, $170) // 3. Dr. Marten’s 1460 Women’s Lace Up Boots in Clash Pink Smooth (size 5-12, $160) // 4. Steve Madden Stevie Lace-Up Combat Boot in Black (size 6WW-13WW, $80) // 5. Michael Kors Haskell Leather Combat Boot (size 5-10, $119) // 6. Steve Madden Bettyy Black Boots in Black (size 5-12, $100)
You cannot be a rebel Tank Girl without a solid pair of Docs strapped to your feet. A queer staple and power move, I actually had to include three pairs because one is not enough! You’ll find them in patent leather (option 1), classic (option 2), and — gasp! — HOT PINK (option 3). If you aren’t a Docs person, listen I get it, the blisters they cause while you break them in is not for the faint of heart. I also included alt. combat boot options for wide sizes, one with an edgy zipper and silver stud detail, and a platform bottom.
Lesbian Birkenstocks Are the Way to Reality Weird Barbie
1. Nordstrom Tiered Ruffle Neck Dress in Bright Rose (size 1X-3X, $89) // 2. Target Universal Thread Short Sleeve Linen Mini Shift Dress in Pink (size XS-4X, $25) // 3. Hill House Naia Nap Dress in Lipstick Pink Cotton (size XXS-XXL, $125)
4. Nordstrom Eyelet Embroidered Cutout Bracelet Sleeve Midi Dress in Pink Wildflower (1X-3X, $72) // 5. ASOS Ruched Waist Balloon Sleeve Mini Dress in Vibrant Pink (size 2-12, $96) // 6. ASOS Puff Sleeve Wrap Midi Dress in Bright Pink (size 12-22, $45)
Have you heard the rumor that the production of the Barbie movie caused a worldwide shortage of pink paint? Yeah, that’s a lot what it was like to try and find pink dresses in a variety of sizes at the end of Barbie-calypse Summer 2023.
But I found some options that hopefully evoke the puffy balloon sleeves of an early ’90s party dress, without making it seem like you’re on your way to a three-year-old’s imaginary tea party. The key here is the sleeves themselves, it seems. You want them to be doing something interesting and big, while the rest of the dress stays as simple as possible. That same silhouette works well with casual summer dresses (options 1-3) as it does with slightly more formal or long dresses (options 4-6). Good luck Barbie!
1. Nine West Fresh 8 Pumps in Neon Pink Suede (size 5-10, $83) // 2. ASOS Sterling Mid Heeled Pumps in Pink (size 4-12, $40)
3. Birkenstock Arizona Sandals in Light Rose (size 4/4.5-12/12.5, $130) // 4. Birkenstock Arizona Sandals in Mocha (size 4/4.5-12/12.5, $110)
Speaking personally, these are my two genders: pumps and Birkenstocks. (I lied! I have a third gender: Nikes). I knew Weird Barbie was a lesbian.. well, immediately after they hired Kate McKinnon. But I knew that she was my kind of lesbian when she held up my exact mocha Birks as the pathway to reality. And another fun fact: I’m in fact wearing those same Birks right now while I write this article!
The pink Birks are my greatest find, they are the exact same ones that Margot Robbie wears at the end of Barbie, which my Instagram algorithm started pushing towards me immediately after I saw the movie for the first time. And if our robot overlords are reading this — I promise that once you take over the universe, you will have no problems with me! Please don’t capture me in the revolution.
Ok, that is everything! Be weird! Be queer! Love you!
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors who are currently on strike, movies like Barbie one would not be possible, and Autostraddle is grateful for the artists who do this work.
Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon Bids a Tearful, Hilarious Goodbye to SNL
Every time the seasons change, my Long Covid-induced dysautonomia has to readjust to the weather, which causes a couple of weeks of more intense brain fog than usual. This weekend, it was like 100 degrees so I was trying to order four bottles of Gatorade and ended up ordering four 32-packs of Gatorade — so if anyone needs some Lemon-Lime Zero or Glacier Freeze Zero, I’ve got plenty to share! My kitchen looks like a Costco. In the meantime, here’s your Monday Pop Culture Fix!
+ This weekend, Kate McKinnon said goodbye to Saturday Night Live. She laughed, she cried, I have no doubt she’ll go on to make a million movies. Also, I’m sorry, but Natasha Lyonne remains the most confusing straight person I have ever encountered. HOW?
+ The Owl House is becoming a queer-friendly Harry Potter alternative. (I’ve been saying!)
+ Joyland is a daring queer Pakistani drama about desire.
+ Auli’i Cravalho is more than Moana.
+ DeWanda Wise’s pilot is bisexual in Jurassic World Dominion.
+ Thirsty Sword Lesbians won a Nebula Award for best game writing.
+ Fans are hyped for Netflix’s new gay vampire anime.
+ Gentleman Jack’s costumes will feature in a Halifax exhibition about Anne Lister.
+ How Ellen DeGeneres won and then lost a generation of viewers.
+ The WNBA Player’s Association has doubled down on the call to bring Brittney Griner home.
“We must keep Brittney’s case on the forefront and make clear to the White House that her release should be one of the highest priorities for our government.”-Cherelle Griner about the new House resolution pushing for Brittney Griner's immediate release. #WeAreBG #BrittneyGriner pic.twitter.com/oXUPablEdk
— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) May 20, 2022
Kate McKinnon Is Masterfully Bananapants in the Wild and Queer “Joe vs. Carole”
The thing about Netflix’s 2020 docu-series, Tiger King, is: Why?? I understand why it got made; it’s a truly surreal story starring two seemingly bonkers human beings and very big cats. What I mean is why did it take the entire internet by storm the way it did? Why was spring 2020 the perfect moment for such an unhinged narrative to put everyone in a chokehold? Why did it disappear from public consciousness just as quickly as it arrived, like some kind of Bean Dad? And also why did Peacock decide that two years later — multiple lifetimes in both Pandemic Time and Twitter Time — was the right moment to drop a fictionalized version of the story (though it is purportedly based on a podcast and not the Netflix series)? Much like the Tootsie Roll lick-conundrum, the world may never know.
What is evident, though, is that Kate McKinnon (noted lesbian) as Carole Baskin (noted bisexual) and John Cameron Mitchell (noted Hedwig) as Joe Exotic (noted gay) is transcendent casting.
It’s also the only reason to watch Joe vs. Carole.
Here’s the good: It is wild to watch Kate McKinnon imitate another person for several hours. Her time on SNL has proven that she can create a fun house mirror version of basically any celebrity or politician on earth — but she’s still so Kate McKinnon about it that it always seems like it could break into hysterics at any second. You never forget that she’s Kate McKinnon playing Baskin, but she does everything from Carole’s accents to her mannerisms so well that it’s like Carole Baskin is wearing Kate McKinnon as a suit. It’s a nesting doll of magnificent weirdness watching someone as over the top as McKinnon try to add substance and subtlety to someone as over the top as Baskin. The show gets into both the abuse that Carole and Joe have faced in their lives in later episodes, and McKinnon does that as well as she does the bonkers stuff.
The same goes for John Cameron Mitchell who makes Joe Exotic at least a little more of a real person and less of a cartoon carnival character, even as he’s walking into a gay bar with a predator cat on a leash. The series also really tries to understand Joe Exotic’s relationships, both his failed gay marriage and his post-divorce gay throuple.
Also good: All the cats are CGI (which is the only way Riese could get me to watch this tbh!).
Everything else is mostly confusing. The series doesn’t know exactly what tone it wants to take. It kinda wants to be camp, but it kinda wants to be taken seriously, it kinda wants to give you just the facts ma’am, but it also kind of wants to show you different sides of these characters. It doesn’t really share any new information, which is a bizarre choice because everyone already knows this story by heart at this point. It also doesn’t have the kind of focus you’d expect from a series that’s drawing from other source material that’s already carved out the narrative. And it doesn’t try to answer any of those dozen questions I asked in the beginning. Most of the time, it doesn’t even seem to know if it wants you to laugh or not, which, I mean? Why else would you cast Kate McKinnon???
Joe vs. Carole held my attention for a good three episodes before I ended up giving myself over to Ghosbusters for the tenth time. Come for McKinnon, stay if you’ve already watched all the new episodes of Killing Eve twice.
Kate McKinnon Says GAY GAY GAY in Response to Homophobic Florida Bill
Saturday Night Live didn’t have an easy task of, you know, being itself this weekend, what with the entire world engulfed in flames. Which makes it kind of like kids in Florida who are facing down HB 1557, a Republican bill that’s come to be known as “Don’t Say Gay,” and which has already passed in the Florida House of Representatives. The legislation would prohibit K-3 teachers from talking about gender or sexuality in any capacity, or any other teachers from talking about LGBTQ people or issues “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
It’s homophobic trash and so Kate McKinnon stopped by the Weekend Update desk with her take on it last night.
Kate McKinnon stops by the Update desk to discuss Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill pic.twitter.com/NjLd7HXXXq
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) March 6, 2022
And now GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY will be stuck in my head all week.
Just kidding it’s always stuck inside my head every day!
Also.Also.Also: Kate McKinnon Is Starring in Margot Robbie’s Barbie Movie, Barbie’s Now a Lesbian, We Don’t Make the Rules
Feature Photo of Kate McKinnon by Paul Morigi/Getty Images
This is coming out a little late because I lost track of time goofing with my friends online. My most professional moment? No. But it’s honest, and I hope you can respect that.
Queer as in F*ck You
Here Are All the LGBTQ+ Olympians Who Have Won Medals at the Beijing Games (So Far)
How the Black Queer Community Is Re-Imagining the Family Tree “LGBTQ groups like SisTers PGH, Bklyn Boihood and Destination Tomorrow are building chosen families for Black queer people who were disowned by their birth families.” I love SisTers PGH and Bklyn Boihood and I love seeing them get their flowers!
New Zealand Just Became the Latest Country to Outlaw Conversion Therapy
Vanessa and Ro picked this out for you! The Erotics of Grief: Mourning My Leather Life Before COVID-19 by DaemonumX for LOGO! (If you want more DaemonumX, you can also read her many works for us! Just saying.)
And finally, Kate McKinnon Is Joining Greta Gerwig & Margot Robbie’s Barbie Movie. So you just know I’m going to bring back all of our lesbian Ken’s.
Saw This, Thought of You
Here I am! Dispatching the online discourse for you to read! Have you seen those “vibe shift” memes on Twitter the last two days? If you have, great — here’s the source! If you haven’t, the chances that the “vibe shift” has already passed you is strong and either way, you should read this article if you want to contemplate your own looming mortality and Youth Culture (TM): A Vibe Shift Is Coming
The Moral Danger of Declaring the Pandemic Over Too Soon. From the author, Gregg Gonsalves: “This was incredibly painful to write. It brought up terrible memories of the worst of the AIDS epidemic. All that death. All that suffering. All that pain.” Not to be depressing, but this is your must read of the night.
Also.(also.also): Why Were Scientists So Slow to Study COVID-19 Vaccines and Menstruation?
How UPN Ushered in a Golden Decade of Black TV — and Then Was Merged Out of Existence. A timely reminder that I wouldn’t be who I am today without Moesha!
Also in pop culture news, ‘Law & Order’ Is Having an Identity Crisis (Related, have you ever read our Yes All Cops, Even SVU’s Olivia Benson?)
OLYMPICS TIME! From the editor this piece, Michelle Garcia: “At first, thinking about this story on Black figure skaters and tights, I was kinda like, “OK, could be good,” but after editing this I’m absolutely enraged on Black figure skaters’ behalf at the indignity some have to face just to compete or perform.” What the Lack of Tights for Black Figure Skaters Says About the Sport
And while we’re here! More Olympics/Skating, The Culture of Child Abuse That’s Poisoning Figure Skating
https://twitter.com/jfmclaughlin92/status/1494404021263601674?s=21
How a Beloved Orange Tabby Cat Became a Voice for America’s Union Workers
Political Snacks
Judge Says Trump, Adult Children Must Testify in New York AG Probe
Kate McKinnon Is at Her Kate McKinnon-est in the “Joe vs. Carole” Trailer
I have never seen Tiger King, nor do I ever plan to see Tiger King, because I cannot stand to see animals in pain. I guess that means I have something in common with Carole Baskin because based on the one thing I know about her from watching Kate McKinnon in this new Joe vs. Carole trailer, she too is a crazy cat lady? Although she has Florida cat lady vibes which are completely different from Georgia cat lady vibes, which is what I have. Anyway, the trailer for Peacock’s new limited drama series dropped just now and it is both a hoot and a spectacle and that’s how you know it’s a Kate McKinnon project!
This makes the fictional Carole Baskin the third gayest fictional Carol after Carol Aird and Carol Danvers.
Here’s the official description of the series: “Based on the Wondery podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King, hosted and reported by Robert Moor, the limited series will center on Carole Baskin, a big cat enthusiast, who learns that fellow exotic animal lover Joe ‘Exotic’ Schreibvogel is breeding and using his big cats for profit. She sets out to shut down his venture, inciting a quickly escalating rivalry. But Carole has a checkered past of her own and when the claws come out, Joe will stop at nothing to expose what he sees as her hypocrisy. The results prove dangerous.”
Also, Joe Exotic was recently sentenced to 21 years in prison, so I guess we know who wins this one?
All episodes of Joe vs. Carole will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, March 3.
Watch Ariana DeBose and Kate McKinnon Feel Witty and Pretty and GAY Together on “SNL”
After a good long year, at least, of living inside that Verizon commercial, Kate McKinnon returned to Saturday Night Live. She made her first appearance last night during Ariana DeBose’s monologue, where she chatted about winning a Golden Globe, then broke into song from West Side Story — and, boom! Kate McKinnon was freed from her 5G prison. Autostraddle Editor in Chief, Carmen Phillips, SNL super fan and comedy nerd, was talking about the moment even quicker than Twitter. “My complicated West Side Story feelings aside — did I nerd out seeing these two queer women pull up stools and sing Broadway? You already know I did.” It’s true, I already knew she did! The episode as a whole wasn’t quite as awesome as this moment, but when is SNL ever a total package anymore? Enjoy, queer Broadway nerds! (So: all my favorite people!)
https://youtu.be/tLOEKEwjGKk
There’s also a pretty hilarious Sappho skit with an unfortunate defense-of-Ellen joke, but it’s still funny.
https://youtu.be/QfhHSY9uULs
Also.Also.Also: Nothing about This Kate McKinnon Tostitos Commercial Makes Sense, but I Still Laughed
I have to leave here to go get vaccinated! Let’s press publish and goooooooooooo!
Queer as in F*ck You
Trans & Menopausal (both the essay and photography here are gorgeous!)
Brandi Carlile Has Always Seen Herself Clearly. Now It’s Our Turn. From The New York Times, “In her new memoir, Broken Horses, the singer-songwriter takes a deep look at how ‘a mean, scrappy little trailer girl with the wrong clothes’ became a six-time Grammy winner.”
The Queer Diary of an Extreme Heterozygote
‘Trans Kids Are Not New’: A Historian on the Long Record of Youth Transitioning in America
Lil Nas X Continues a Tradition of Queer Blasphemy by Nicole Froio for Bitch Media. And if you read that, you should also be reading: Lil Nas X’s Dykey Aunts Are Proud of MONTERO by Shelli Nicole and Dani Janae for Autostraddle.
To REALLY honest with you, I have no idea what’s happening in this Dan Levy/ Kate McKinnon Tostitos commercial, but I laughed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqQ5XHUHtA
I’m a member of the National Association of Black Journalists’ LGBTQ+ Task Force that’s mentioned below, so full disclosure this is a bit of a self-plug, but I’m so proud that I hope you don’t mind. I donated yesterday in Monica Roberts’ name because I believe that Black trans and queer journalists, the guardians of our stories, deserve to be supported and protected. And I’m hoping that another cis person reading this link round up will join me and do the same: The Monica Roberts LGBTQ+ Scholarship is is a newly established fund to support Black LGBTQ+ students studying journalism, mass communications, or otherwise interested in reporting and storytelling. (If you click the link to donate, when prompted select scholarships, then select “LBGTQ+ Task Force Scholarship.”)
https://twitter.com/TrevellAnderson/status/1377301927025774601
Saw This, Thought of You
If The Pandemic Has Made You Anxious About Returning To “Normal,” You’re Not Alone (And related: 6 Tips From a Therapist For Coping with Reopening Anxiety)
Also.Also.Also, since I’m getting my first jab in my arm as soon as I press publish on this here link roundup, wish me good luck! (I found the practical approach taken here to be very calming): What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated?
I Spent My Life Consenting to Touch I Didn’t Want. “A year of isolation made me consider all the casual, unwanted touch women endure — and why it’s so hard to refuse it.”
I watched the Tina Turner documentary on HBO this week, and it’s honestly all I can think about, so: Revisiting Tina Turner’s Most Fabulous Looks and The Final Word on Tina Turner by Hanna Giorgis for The Atlantic (a genuinely great read!)
This also gives me a quick opportunity to brag on my bestie a lil bit, which almost never happens here! But Dr. Elliott Hunter Powell (in addition to seeing my through my 20s) is a brilliant professor of race, gender, sexuality, and music. He recommends that if you’re going to watch the Tina documentary, you pair it with this book:
https://twitter.com/ehphd/status/1376934107691708419
Don’t worry, I looked it up for you: Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and Roll by Dr. Maureen Mahon
Speaking of music! The Black ‘Godmother of Grunge’ Who Inspired Your Fav Bands
Not related, but also not NOT related, in a border sense, if you feel me: White People Keep Posing As People of Color for Clout
Creating Your Own Tea Ritual. “From mint to rooibos to matcha, take the time to pour into yourself.” We deserve serenity.
Political Snacks
“We know the fight against these [sweeping anti-trans] bills sounds daunting, but the discriminatory legislation doesn’t have to be inevitable. Last year, many Americans leaned into the power of political action by taking to the streets in the aftermath of George Floyd’s and Tony McDade’s police killings or by organizing voter turnout. We knew that we couldn’t rest in the fight for our rights and our lives. This is why we’re encouraging our community and allies to contact lawmakers and demand they end these assaults on trans youth.
…
We are at an inflection point in the fight for trans lives. We are witnessing a broad-based assault on our ability to attend school, access health care, find community, strive for our dreams, and survive. Our visibility can be a tool to build resistance and power, but we can’t win this fight without sustained action and solidarity. Join us as we defend our survival and celebrate not just being seen as trans, but also being respected as humans.”
HELLO! WHEN I SAY THIS IS YOUR MUST READ OF TODAY, I MEAN IT! Visibility Alone Will Not Keep Transgender Youth Safe by Raquel Willis (!!) and Chase Strangio (!!) for The Nation.
Sunday Funday Trusts Kate McKinnon’s Bananapants Doctor More than the CDC
Hello, friends, and a happy National Coming Out Day upon you! The days are getting shorter but cooler so I’m trying to spend as much time as I can on my back slab of concrete, which Stacy and I have taken to calling “the veranda” like we’re the Golden Girls or something. (She’s a Dorothy and I’m a… gosh, am I a Rose? Surely not.) Yesterday, I cooked a big ol’ pot of vegetable soup and cornbread and today it’s gonna be tomato and goat cheese pie. I’m trying to stay away from the news this weekend, except for the good news, which I am bringing to you! How are you making the most of the days these days?
+ Kate McKinnon’s Dr. Wayne Weknowdis appeared for the first time on SNL last night to give a second opinion on Trump’s COVID status, and even though she completely broke down, I still trust Dr. Weknowdis over the Centers for Disease Control!
+ For National Coming Out Day, The Wrap’s running down celebs who came out this year.
+ 15 LGBTQ TV characters who technically didn’t come out.
+ Demi Lovato and Tan France hosted a coming out special on Facebook Watch.
+ Queer people from across sports share coming out stories.
+ Noelle Stevenson did an illustrated coming out story for Oprah magazine.
+ Mexican feminists turned a government building into a women’s shelter.
+ How an Adobe employee made every device in the world queerer — with emoji.
+ KK Slider has a Sufjan Stevens cover band.
+ Related: Neil Gaiman and Stephen King have had enough of JKR’s transphobia.
+ Marry Berry has been made a dame!
The loveliest lady ever ever ever ! I adore her ! Xx https://t.co/t36Vb0eJHI
— Nadiya Jamir Hussain (@BegumNadiya) October 10, 2020
+ Witches are trying to figure out whose spell gave Trump COVID.
+ New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wants to ban conversion therapy.
+ And finally: this is lovely!
It takes courage to be the person you’re meant to be. ❤️
In our latest Pixar Origin Story, director Steven Hunter shares the story that inspired him to make the Pixar #SparkShort, Out. #NationalComingOutDay pic.twitter.com/plhi0ZkGGC— Pixar (@Pixar) October 11, 2020
Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon Is Obviously Playing Carole Baskin in the “Tiger King” TV Series
I hope you’re continuing to be safe out there, friends. Here’s your bi-weekly Pop Culture Fix.
+ There’s obviously a fictional Tiger King TV series in the works and Kate McKinnon will obviously be playing Carole Baskin (who has asked McKinnon to use CGI big cats which I 100% agree with).
+ Related: The only not-awful person in Tiger King is a trans man who was misgendered throughout the series.
+ Lizzo is sending lunch to hospital ER staff as a thank you.
+ Dolly Parton’s going to start reading us bed time stories because of course she is.
+ Why 90 Day Fiancé and Portrait of a Lady on Fire are perfect quarantine viewing.
+ From Sam Manzella over at NewNowNext: Bad lesbian movies hold a special place in the canon, and in my heart.
+ Evan Rachel Wood on the “digital war” at the heart of Westworld season three.
+ The devastating detail hiding in the French grammar of Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
+ Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz are hosting a Glee recap podcast — but also our own Drew Gregory is watching Glee for the first time on Twitter. (This thread will make your day, I promise. Make it a daily read, you deserve a treat.)
Fuck it I’m starting Glee
— Drew Burnett Gregory (@draw_gregory) March 12, 2020
+ Shrill has been renewed for a third season. (Did you read Shelli’s review/personal essay about season two? You should!)
+ The How to Get Away With Murder team looks back at the road to the series finale.
+ From Kelly Lawler at USA Today: As a TV critic, television was always my escape. Coronavirus made the rest of you understand.
Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon and Elizabeth Warren Dance Out Their Silent Rage on “Saturday Night Live”
Welcome back to your now twice-weekly Pop Culture Fix!
+ Kate McKinnon and Elizabeth Warren danced it out on SNL this weekend because we love to celebrate a woman when her ambition isn’t poised to make her even more powerful!
𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵. pic.twitter.com/t8qHcGRUhY
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) March 8, 2020
Here’s Warren’s skit:
+ HBO is adapting potentially the most beloved gay video game of all time (or, well, video game with a gay storyline), The Last of Us, with the game developers and and the writer/producer of Chernobyl. They promise they’re going to keep Ellie’s lesbianism in tact, which is good, because I think there’d be a riot outside HBO if they did not.
https://twitter.com/clmazin/status/1235635649903882240
+ Zaya Wade walked her first red carpet!
+ Power is spinning off again, this time with Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and it will include LaVerne “Jukebox” Thomas — who clocked in at #83 on our Top 100 Queer and Trans Women of Color Television Characters in TV History — to be played by Tony Award nominee Haley Kilgore.
+ Katrina Law chatted with TVLine about Nyssa showing up on the Arrow series finale, Sara being Nyssa’s beloved and soulmate, and how she wants to drop by on Legends of Tomorrow and “mess with Ava a little bit.”
+ Tessa Thompson says Westworld‘s third season feels like the show is starting over.
+ Netflix Canada agrees with us and you that this is the one Glee thing that’s still worth talking about!
reminder that Glee did what it had to do with the Rumour Has It/Someone Like You mash-up pic.twitter.com/hlsE07iKSR
— Netflix Canada (@Netflix_CA) March 5, 2020
+ Five female editors who rejected the female gaze.
+ The women film editors standing out in a very male-dominated industry.
+ Go behind the scenes of Wynonna Earp‘s fourth season and Melanie Scrofano’s directorial debut.
+ Here are some photos from the cast and crew of Pose on the first day of season three filming.
+ COVID-19 is expected to have disastrous effects on the film industry.
Kate McKinnon’s Golden Globes Tribute to Ellen Highlights How Far We’ve Come and How Far We Have Left to Go
Something shocking happened when Kate McKinnon presented Ellen DeGeneres with the Carol Burnett Award at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards last night: I found out there are lots of people who had no idea Kate McKinnon is gay! Which is one of the reasons, I suppose, that these big time Hollywood awards shows that have been so rightly derided in recent years for their racism — and this year for inviting back a host who doubled down on his transphobia and faced exactly zero repercussions — continue to be important cultural markers in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ equality. McKinnon presenting Ellen with the award at all speaks to the spectrum we operate on when we say, truthfully, that visibility matters.
In many queer circles, Ellen’s reputation has taken a huge hit over the past year. There was her defense of Kevin Hart’s homophobia last January; her defense of her friendship with George W. Bush, after they were spotted paling around at a Dallas Cowboys game in October; her deeply awkward interview with Daktoa Johnson in which Johnson called out Ellen for saying she wasn’t invited to Fanning’s birthday party when she actually was (and which a producer off-camera confirmed); and then the surreal news Twitter uncovered about how, in 2006, she gave Donald and Melania Trump a golden baby carriage with a chandelier inside it.
Ellen has countered all of that criticism by explaining repeatedly that she just wants to be nice to everyone, and it’s no surprise that niceness is one of the things McKinnon praised Ellen for last night. She thanked her for sharing “a roadmap for being funny that is grounded in an expression of joy” and “a desire to bring everyone together by laughing about the things we have in common.”
Last fall, over at Vox, Constance Grady rounded up the analysis of Ellen’s year-long PR slide and cut straight to the heart of the growing and vocal concern about her: “In many ways, it feels as though niceness is no longer enough, as though it might perhaps even be slightly immoral. In this age of Donald Trump and #MeToo and apocalyptic climate change and gun violence and all the other things that make our futures seem ever more uncertain, and as though those in power are ever more unqualified to help us — do we even want to be nice to the powerful anymore? Is uncritical niceness to people who have made the world a worse place a good and admirable thing?”
These are questions that aren’t going anywhere any time soon — probably, in fact, ever again, which is a very good thing — and of course that discourse continued last night. But that wasn’t the only thing McKinnon talked about in her two-minute speech. In easily the most vulnerable and candid remarks she’s made about her personal life and sexuality since landing on SNL in 2012 and skyrocketing in global popularity, McKinnon choked up as she recounted what it was like for her, as a gay teenager, to see Ellen open up about her sexuality.
“The only thing that made [being gay] less scary,” McKinnon said, “Was seeing Ellen come out on TV. She risked her entire life and her entire career to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it. Of course attitudes change, but only because brave people jump into the fire to make them change — and if I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought, ‘I can never be on TV; they don’t let LGBTQ people on TV,’ and more than that, I would have gone on thinking maybe I was an alien and I didn’t have a right to be here.”
The same is true for me. I was 16 when Ellen came out and it changed the trajectory of my life. The sacrifices she made to give me and Kate McKinnon and so many other queer women of a certain age the gift of seeing ourselves represented is something most of us will always honor and hold dear. Ellen is the very definition of a gay trailblazer; her decision to come out in 1997 is still rippling out positive effects in 2020. Even last night, the closet door cracked open a little wider because, apparently, loads of people really didn’t know McKinnon is gay and now they do and that still matters.
I teared up watching McKinnon tear up not only because I have this history in common with her, but also because I want so badly for Ellen to keep pushing the conversation forward, to not stop at making white women from Wisconsin feel okay about white lesbians getting married, to listen and learn and grow, to heed most of all the words of James Baldwin: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”
Ellen has done so much, but there is still so much left to be done.
Kate McKinnon Finally Gets to Play an Actual Lesbian in “Bombshell”
As a person who group up inside the cult of Fox News, and who spent years researching it academically to write about it, and who remembers every moment of the 2016 election in excruciating detail, I had absolutely no desire to watch Bombshell — until Riese told me Kate McKinnon finally plays an actual lesbian in it. I’m not talking about dyke-y hair and gun-licking as subtext. I’m not talking about just her general way. I’m talking about Kate McKinnon’s character having sex with Margot Robbie’s character and their relationship becoming the most emotionally resonant thing in the entire movie.
Okay, first of all: Bombshell is not a good film. I should just tell you that upfront. Part of it — most of it maybe — is that it tries to make feminist heroes out of Megan Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), both of whom were instrumental in having Roger Ailes (and ultimately Bill O’Reilly) ousted from Fox News, but both of whom only did so after their careers were in peril, and after fueling white supremacy with outright lies and fear-mongering propaganda; and exhibiting unrepentant racism, xenophobia, misogyny, transphobia, and homophobia on a daily basis; and empowering the Republican Party’s descent into fascism. It’s almost nauseating to watch two women who used their platforms to attack victims and survivors for years hoist an imaginary #MeToo trophy in the air.
Director Jay Roach and screenwriter Charles Randolph actually seem to know this! It’s why Kate McKinnon’s character, Jess Carr, exists in the film at all! Jess is a lesbian. She’s a Hillary supporter. She watches Rachel Maddow. She quietly tries to warn Margot Robbie’s Kayla Pospisil — a composite character made up of the probably zillion white, blonde, blue-eyed evangelical Christians who have made their way from journalism majors at state schools in the south to Fox News’ intern program — about the rumors of the myriad ways a woman can be sexually harassed at the company. Not that Kayla actually needs to have it spelled out for her; Fox News is her family’s lifeblood, but Jess says it plainly: “You have to adopt the mentality of an Irish street cop. The world is a bad place, people are lazy morons, minorities are criminals, sex is sick but interesting. Ask yourself, ‘What would scare my grandmother or piss off my grandfather?’ And that’s a Fox story.”
Ironically enough, while Megan Kelly is making her way around the Fox News offices like the queen of the castle, Jess tells Kayla that she would love to work anywhere besides Fox, but it was the first place she got a job, and now that it’s on her resume, no other news organizations will take her seriously. That’s not the only way Jess is juxtaposed to Kelly, whom she never actually even speaks with. She looks after Kayla the best she can. She coaches her. She warns her what closed doors not to go behind. And when Kayla finds herself behind those doors, Jess refuses to pass judgment, offering only compassion for another of the countless women who fell victim to the most powerful predator in an industry full of predators. Kelly, meanwhile, tells Jess it’s not her responsibility to protect other women from the powerful men that she knows prey on them.
Jess and Kayla’s scenes exist almost as if they’re an entirely different movie.
But they’re not! They are wrapped up inside a frenetic, fourth wall-breaking script that spans the months before Trump won the Republican nomination, including his attacks on Megan Kelly, to the day Rupert Murdoch fired Ailes and took over the newsroom himself. Megan Kelly’s star is rising, Gretchen Carlson’s star is falling, they meet in the middle and refuse to take responsibility for the evil they’ve wrought in the world. Hey, but, they both hate Roger Ailes! Theron, Kidman, and Robbie are all great, of course (with Theron taking home the prize for best wig), but even they don’t seem quite sure who they’re making this movie for. It’s not liberals, who, I’m sure, mostly felt the same way I did when watching (annoyed and grossed out); or Fox News viewers, who don’t believe anything they don’t hear from Fox News itself. Maybe it’s for those mythical independent voters in the middle of the country?
If you’re going to watch Bombshell, there are some gay easter eggs to be on the lookout for. A wild Holland Taylor appears more than once. Brooke Smith, who you probably know best as Erica “You Are The Glasses” Hahn from Grey’s Anatomy is a fierce Fox lawyer. Brigette Lundy-Paine has a small role.
It’s fun to see Kate McKinnon playing gay for real. It’s fun to see a lesbian portrayed as the only person with an actual soul in a movie that stars basically every white woman who’s ever been on TV at some point. It’s fun to watch powerful men get destroyed. What’s not fun is watching bad people take down worse people for self-serving reasons and get treated as heroes for doing it.
Pop Culture Fix: Kristen Stewart Does Fingerplay With Kate McKinnon In “SNL” Promo and We’re Like, So Gay Dude
Welcome to your weekly pop culture fix!
+ Aha so! It seems that our dearest So Gay friend Kristen Stewart will be bringing some gay attention to Saturday Night Live this weekend and Kate McKinnon has something to say about that:
+ Stumptown has secured a full season pick-up!
+ Emily VanDerWerff on how she’s rethinking her job in 2020: “…what’s interesting to me increasingly isn’t straight-up reviews. It’s much more common for me to be taken with the idea of writing a reported feature, or a critical essay, or something like that. I now prefer to take the long view, and taking a look at my traffic stats, my readers prefer that too.”
+ Jill Soloway will be directing a (lesbian astronaut) Sally Ride biopic for Lionsgate! The film will explore Ride’s life and her 1983 mission on the Challenger space shuttle.
+ Olivia Wilde heard about how Booksmart has been edited for Delta and she is rightfully pissed off:
There are certain words and certain scenes that are cut out, that aren’t the swear words. It’s ‘fuck, fuck, fuck’ all day, but they removed the word ‘masturbation,’ they removed the word ‘vagina.’ So I’m just curious what a woman is supposed to take from that. That it’s an obscenity. That it’s inappropriate.
There’s insane violence of bodies being ripped in half and yet a love scene between two women is censored from the film. It’s such an integral part of the character’s journey. My heart just broke. I don’t understand it. It’s confusing.”
+ Run don’t walk, Australians: Supermarket giant Kmart is selling adorable same-sex family dolls for kids – and they’re almost sold out
+ Tanya Saracho, Mj Rodriguez discuss changing tide for queer Latinos in media
+ Tig Notaro, Wife Stephanie Allynne To Direct Lesbian Coming-Of-Age Film in which “two thirtysomething women who have been best friends their entire lives” have “their friendship is tested when one of the women embarks on a personal journey.”
Pop Culture Fix: Kate McKinnon and Holland Taylor Know all Fox News’ Secrets in “Bombshell”
Welcome to your weekly Pop Culture Fix, my favorite nerds!
+ The full Bombshell trailer is finally here and it’s a doozy! Kate McKinnon explains “a Fox News story” perfectly and succinctly in like three seconds: Will it scare your grandmother and piss off your grandfather? Also, bonus Holland Taylor!
+ SNL‘s latest cold open brought Billy Porter to CNN’s Equality Town Hall.
+ At Indiwire, Libby Hill wrote about Transparent and her wife — TV critic Emily VanDerWerff — coming out as trans and beginning transition.
+ Jasika Nicole recently shared a clip from a new documentary she participated in: Somewhere In The Middle, which “focuses on the work of artists who have followed their passion and created careers they are proud of, despite not being uber rich and famous.”
+ Vida picked up a Diversity TV Excellence Award at the MIPCOM TV market in Cannes.
+ Jameela Jamil: not straight!
https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1182899264642379776?s=12
+ Raven-Symoné is joining season four of The Bold Type.
+ Grace Choi will finally be back on Black Lightning next week! 😭
+ Carmen describes the new Lady and the Tramp trailer thus: Janelle Monáe singing, Tessa Thomson’s voice, and Kiersey Clemons’ face.
+ Grease is spinning off into a TV series on HBO Max called Rydell High.
+ A new slate of films gives Korean American mothers their flowers.
+ Everything you need to know about Westworld season three.
+ The trailer for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season three is a showstopper.
18 Kate McKinnon Sketches We All Deserve Today
I was going to write some long introduction justifying the existence of this article, but there’s no real reason at hand. Sometimes, I just want to spend the day laughing. I bet you do, too. So I got together with the young legend Kate McKinnon and we made you a gift.
(PS: I’m aware there’s no “Kate as Ellen” sketches on this list, even though Ellen DeGeneres is one of Kate McKinnon’s most famous impressions. For some reason Saturday Night Live, which otherwise has a Smithsonian-level catalog of their offerings available on YouTube, only has one single sketch available of Kate as Ellen. And that sketch has a pretty offensive take on an African character, so I refuse to include it.)
1. “The Calvin Klein Ad” // Season 40 // 2015
If you’re gonna deep dive Kate McKinnon on YouTube, it’s required that you start here. Those are the rules of lesbian comedy. Kate had already been a regular cast member for a few seasons at this point, but this moment was her true breakout – and she brought the “Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber” joke to the mainstream in a single swoop!
Fun Fact: Kate once revealed the secret to her perfect Justin Bieber impression while on Conan: “It’s looking like a puppy who just piddled and is sort of sorry about it.”
2. Weekend Update: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Not Retiring // Season 42 // 2017
Tina Fey has Sarah Palin. Amy Poehler has 2008’s version of Hillary Clinton. Will Ferrell has George W Bush. Chevy Chase has President Ford. The greats of SNL usually end their tenure with a political impression that’s theirs to claim. Kate McKinnon has Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and 2016’s Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway and approximately half of the Trump Administration. My girl don’t quit.
Kate’s take on Notorious RBG almost always goes viral. It was really hard to pick a single sketch to sum it up, but I went with this one because she mainlines a bunch of powdered Vitamin C to “stay healthy,” which went on to become an infamous GIF in its own right.
Looking for more laughs and interested in Ginsburg’s take on Judge Brett Kavanaugh? Got you covered.
3. First Got Horny 2 U // Season 41 // 2015
Few things give me happiness like an SNL girl group musical number, largely because it allows me to imagine the kind of weekly sketch show I wish already existed on TV – the kind without men. They have a few hits to their name (and if you haven’t seen their take on the small joys of coming home for the holidays – Back Home Ballers – I can’t recommend it enough) but this one is my favorite. Kate’s childhood crush on Taylor Hansen because of his long hair and soft lips NEVER fails to make me laugh out of gay recognition. If you want to laugh at the bluntness of your horny ass tween years, this is for you. (And they are dressed like the Backstreet Boys! C’mon!)
4. Close Encounter // Season 41 // 2015
Kate McKinnon’s chain-smoking Ms. Rafferty is the kind of stroke of genius comedy that’s guaranteed to make all the actors in the scene break character. She’s been abducted by aliens in her past and her stories are… well you have to see it for yourself. It’s a character she’s brought back many times, but I picked this one because really nothing is a good as your first.
And may none of us ever have to know the singular indignity of being left pants-less atop a Long John Silver’s. Amen.
5. Kristen Stewart Opening Monologue // Season 42 //2017
THE BIG DYKE ENERGY OVER THIS ENTIRE SKETCH.
6. RBG Rap // Season 44 // 2018
I tried very hard not to “repeat characters” over this list, but I made two exceptions. One for Hillary Clinton, who’s still coming up later, and one for Justice Ginsburg. The song alone is too good to pass up. WARNING: Only listen if you’re prepared to have “Cuz I Live For Ginsburg/ And I Ride For Ginsburg” stuck in your head on a loop for the rest of the week.
7. Whiskers R We with Kristen Wiig // Season 42 // 2016
Barbara DeDrew (Kate McKinnon) and Furonica (Host Kristen Wiig) show off the cats that are available for adoption during a Thanksgiving giveaway. Whiskers R We is yet another mainstay that’s worth it every time. Listen, lesbians love cats.
8. Bok Bok // Season 44 // 2019
I really don’t get the whole Momo internet meme that swept last year, but even without the sufficient background I know that Kate captured the goth queer icon perfectly. It’s the death in her hallowed eyes, the way her voice is sublimely creepy as she caresses little children’s faces with chicken tenders.The entire sketch is, pardon my pun, *chef’s kiss.*
9. Susan B. Anthony // Season 42 // 2017
Out here asking the hard hitting questions: What if the homie Susie B. really was that girl who just won’t shut up at the party?
10. Hillary Clinton Election Video Cold Open // Season 40 // 2015
When Kate McKinnon takes her final Saturday Night Live bow, we’re still going to be talking about this one. In her impression of Hillary Clinton, Kate not only found a way to parody the most famous woman in politics, she also never lost track of the grotesque sexist critique that surrounded her by those who wouldn’t trust a woman in power. She married the two and final product is legendary. Even more impressive, her take on Hillary Clinton appropriately shifts and matures over the course of the 2016 election cycle – Here we start at the beginning, with Clinton at her most robotic and absurd in her quest to be our Overlord.
“Buckle Up America, The Clintons Are BACK!” is such a terrifying 2015 Mood.
11. Dyke and Fats // Season 39 // 2014
A pitch-perfect tribute to historic lesbian icons Cagney & Lacey. We’ve seen Dyke & Fats on the show a few times, but few SNL sketches pay off as well as this one does in its final 15 seconds. So promise me you’ll watch all the way to the end, OK?
Fun Fact: Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant share an office in the SNL writers’ room! Roomies! Cuuute!
12. Kellywise // Season 43 // 2017
Fuck it. Kellyanne gives me nightmares anyway. Might as well lean all the way in to the crash.
13. Film Screening // Season 42 // 2017
Oh, Debette Goldry. Dear, sweet, always inappropriate and simultaneously horrifying Debate Goldry. The premise of this reoccurring bit is simple: SNL actresses pretend to be Hollywood actresses on a panel to discuss sexism in Hollywood. Then Kate plays Ms. Debette Goldry, there to remind everyone around her how absolutely tragic it was to be a leading lady during the Silver Screen era of cinema. “You think you had it bad, we had to swallow arsenic pills to lighten our skin!” Hardy-har-har.
It’s the #MeToo equivalent of “When I was your age I had to walk uphill both ways in a foot of snow” – which sounds like it should be tiresome, but somehow it works? I picked this version of the sketch because it features Jennifer Aniston playing herself.
14. This Is Not A Feminist Song // Season 41 // 2016
Feminism is complicated. Rather than risking they’d get it wrong, Kate McKinnon and the SNL girl group line up wrote this fake ass “feminist anthem” that you can play during SoulCycle instead. Look, it has soft light lens flairs and pictures of a boardwalk and close up shots of an old woman’s hands! They stand together in a line and hold hands for empowerment! Stop asking them for more! (Features Ariana Grande for maximum gay culture points)
15. Welcome to Hell // Season 43 // 2018
Sure, it’s all sugary and sweet until you have to stab a man with your hand full of keys just to make it home safe at night.
16. Weekend Update: Billie Jean King on the Sochi Olympics // Season 39 // 2013
Tennis legend Billie Jean King stops by to discuss being “the big gay middle finger” at the Sochi Winter Olympics. I had somehow never seen this sketch until doing research for this article, and it is perfect?? How have we never talked about it? How is it not going down in the lesbian hall of fame? I think it might be because at the time of her 2013 appearance, Kate McKinnon had yet to become a gay household name. That is our mistake and we must remedy it. THIS IS THE MOST LESBIAN SKETCH EVER AND IF YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT. IF YOU WATCH ONE THING, WATCH THIS.
17. Election Week Cold Open // Season 42 // 2016
This list isn’t ranked, but I saved the best two sketches for last.
Granted, this sketch isn’t quite funny per se, but damn it is superb. Here’s what I wrote about it in 2017:
In her political autobiography What Happened? Hillary Clinton specifically references this performance, which originally aired the Saturday following her election defeat, as an emotional release. I can personally attest that it reached into the most beaten parts of me at a time when the depths of my darkness felt insurmountable and instead lit a match. It’s a masterfully multi-layered sketch, simultaneously paying homage to Leonard Cohen during the week of his passing, giving deference to Clinton, and seeking to comfort those of us grieving in the audience. Ten months later, I still cannot hear the song without imaging McKinnon, at the piano, in Hillary’s signature pantsuit, telling me to never give up.
It’s now two years later, and that last part is still true. This is what it looks like to be a master of your craft.
18. Themyscira // Season 43 // 2017
Oh did you want to revisit Kate McKinnon making out with Gal Gadot while she’s dressed as Wonder Woman?
Of course you did. This is the gayest shit SNL has ever done. And you’re welcome.
“The Spy Who Dumped Me” Is a Hilarious, Action-Packed Adventure All About Best Friendship
The Spy Who Dumped Me is a super stylized action-drama that is, ultimately, all about the beauty and durability of close female friendship. There are car chases, a gymnast-model-assassin, a Cirque du Soleil fight scene. For the entire first act, Mila Kunis wears a Hawaiian shirt (gay) and Kate McKinnon wears a white tank top with black suspenders (so incredibly gay). What I’m trying to tell you is you should absolutely drop everything you’re doing and go watch The Spy Who Dumped Me right now.
Directed by Susanna Fogel (who also co-wrote the movie with David Iserson), The Spy Who Dumped Me visually feels very much like a big-budget spy movie, and its action sequences are spectacular. In the same vein as Paul Feig’s Spy, the action and the comedy interplay in fun ways, heightening each other. But way more so than most movies in this genre, the character development and relationship dynamics are so strong, dimensional, moving.
Far too often, I end up wondering why two friends in a movie are friends. It can be a surprisingly tough thing to convey through writing without making it come off as forced. But Morgan (McKinnon) and Audrey (Kunis) have a friendship that almost immediately jumps off the screen. When the titular spy tells Audrey she can’t trust anyone, she doesn’t apply that to Morgan for even a second. Trusting Morgan is an indelible given, and throughout the movie, their love for each other is really the only stable thing about their suddenly chaotic, violent lives (on that note, the movie has its fair share of gore, so if that’s not for you, be warned).
There’s a particularly standout scene amid all the chaos where Morgan and Audrey just sort of check in with each other. Morgan talks about some of her greatest insecurities about the way people perceive her — insecurities that, unbeknownst to Audrey, the spy ex had stoked on the night when he and Audrey first met (Morgan didn’t tell Audrey at the time because she didn’t want to lessen her friend’s excitement about a new crush). Morgan is afraid of being “too much,” and Audrey assures her that the qualities she’s insecure about are the exact qualities Audrey loves about her. She doesn’t love her in spite of how extra she is; she loves her because of it. The scene feels like something that belongs in an entirely different genre and yet isn’t out-of-place within this movie, which constantly centers Audrey and Morgan’s friendship in a very natural and compelling way.
Fogel, after all, seems drawn to stories about female friendship, having directed and co-written Life Partners, the movie that gave us queer Leighton Meester (and therefore ruined my life). That movie eschews a lot of assumptions about friendship between lesbians and straight women while also tapping into a lot of the really complex things that can sometimes come with intensely close friendship between lesbians and straight women. Sadly, The Spy Who Dumped Me doesn’t have any explicitly queer characters (though it doesn’t take much work to read Morgan as not-entirely-straight), but it does evoke Life Partners in its specific, dynamic portrayal of long-term best friendship between two women.
(There’s also a quick line about how Audrey is on antidepressants, and even though it is meant to be funny, it doesn’t feel like the movie is making light of that fact. It’s weirdly refreshing for it to be acknowledged that a movie character is on antidepressants without that being something that wholly defines them or serves as a plot point. It’s just sort of matter-of-fact and not a big deal.)
Another selling point: GILLIAN ANDERSON. You’ll likely feel the earth move when Gillian Anderson places her arm around Kate McKinnon in their first scene together. The woman sitting behind me audibly whispered “oh my god,” vocalizing what the rest of the theater was feeling. McKinnon’s face says it all. I’m not being dramatic when I say this is a moment for the history books. See for yourself:
https://twitter.com/carlytron/status/1025855388279697408
The 16 Best Faces Kate McKinnon and Ellen DeGeneres Made While Being Held Hostage in a Car by Jerry Seinfeld
If you’re unfamiliar with the viral internet sensation Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, here’s the basic deal: Jerry Seinfeld — one of the world’s richest comedians, of Seinfeld fame — takes a fellow comedian of his choice for a spin in a vintage car. Then, they get coffee. And that’s it! That’s the whole show!
It’s a bit like Inside the Actors Studio? But, with Jerry asking whatever is on Jerry’s mind. What’s on the mind of a wealthy, cis, straight man is the LAST THING I CARE ABOUT in 2018, and guess what? Jerry Seinfeld is no exception to that rule! Any survivor of the ‘90s can tell you, Seinfeld famously built his comedic empire on a whole lot of “nothing.” Apathy is the name of his game, but man, rich men being apathetic in 2018 is a pain.
After nine seasons at Crackle, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee got a fancy Netflix facelift. Part of that facelift includes LESBIANNNNNS!
New episodes dropped this month. One has Jerry having iced tea with the head of the lesbian mafia, the one! the only! Ellen DeGeneres! Another leaves him zipping around New York with everyone’s favorite girlfriend — who also happens to do a killer Hillary Clinton impression on karaoke night — Kate McKinnon! They both look about as excited to be in a car with Jerry Seinfeld as I would be!
Here are the best faces Ellen and Kate made while being trapped in a car with this guy. This dialogue is 100% real.
Jerry: Your talk show… you couldn’t have imagined that it would be as successful as it’s been.
Ellen:
Jerry: Wow. Nobody would believe that you really talk like this.
Kate:
Jerry: What would you like your appeal to be? What would you like people to think when they see you?
Ellen: That I’m a good person. That I’m a nice person.
Jerry: No one’s paying to see a nice person.
Kate: Are you here? Should I, like, come to the car?
Jerry: I would appreciate it if you were not so suggestive in the white-hot radioactive sexual misconduct rodeo world we now live in.
Ellen: When I lost my sitcom, I didn’t work for three years solid until I got the talk show.
Jerry: So when you say you “weren’t working,” what were you doing?
Ellen:
Jerry: The thing that really intrigued me about you is that you went to Columbia.
Kate: I did mostly puppetry.
Jerry: What do you think about a ventriloquist dummy that’s a paraplegic?
Kate:
Ellen: The world is such a scary place right now, in so many ways. It just overwhelms me with dread. Do you ever like, go to those places?
Jerry: No.
Ellen: You don’t?
Jerry: No. My attitude is that each generation kinda gets this thing dumped in your lap to deal with.
Ellen: When I talk to your kids, I’ll ask them what they think.
Jerry: I don’t really care what they think.
Ellen: That’s… my point.
Kate: Parallel parking on the right side of the road? God, you’re a man. You’re a real man.
Jerry: I know that you don’t like men, but even if you did…
Ellen:
Jerry: What did you do when men were attracted to you? How did you handle that?
Kate:
Kate: I wore a pair of SpongeBob SquarePants pajama bottoms, clogs, and a hand-me-down hooded sweatshirt. I gave myself my own haircuts. And that’s when I looked the best!
Jerry: But you wanted girls to like you.
Kate: That’s fine for them! That’s the secret.
Jerry: That’s the most attractive aspect of this lifestyle that I did not know about.
[Jerry Seinfeld’s philosophy on how celebrities should treat fans]
Jerry: What do you owe? Your show was free. You gave these people a show for free. I don’t understand. What is this “owe”? Quite frankly, I gave you something. If anything, now you owe me something!
Kate:
Jerry: [I kid you fucking not, he makes a joke about domestic violence.]
Ellen:
And finally… I present to you: “When Your Host is a Wanker and You Get Him Back, A Play in Two Parts.”
[Ellen steals Jerry’s car keys]
[Jerry visibly panics]
Ellen: It was to teach you a lesson! I could’ve let that go for longer.
Jerry: If you had any balls, which you don’t.
Ellen: … I should’ve let it go really, really long.
Jerry: I don’t think that was going anywhere funny.
If you want to partake for yourself, the new season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (called “2018: Freshly Brewed”) is on Netflix right now. Ellen’s episode is #3, “You Said It Wasn’t Funny.” She talks about her first stand up, being the first woman comedian invited to sit at the desk with Johnny Carson, and re-discovering joy after her girlfriend died in a car accident (which is something I previously didn’t know about her!). Kate’s is episode #10, “Brain in a Jar.” She gets in deep about physics, environmental science, and the Coriolis Effect (that’s what makes your toilet flush backwards!). She also impersonates Jessica Lange in American Horry Story and mimes a dog taking a poop on the sidewalk.
Until then, tag yourself in the comments! I’m Ellen laughing my ass off at Jerry not finding his keys.